Ask a Dirtbag is a reoccurring article that highlights a unique outdoor adventurer. We give them the mic and sit back and listen to their advice and epic stories.
Whitewater kayaking is king here in the Pacific Northwest. Two blades or bust. It's the norm and for good reason. Oregon is home to a number of beautiful creeks that are seemingly designed for a kayak to splash down. But that's not to say it's the only way. In this article Bryan Markhart talks to us about his unique way of paddling down these creeks. Spoiler alert, it's pretty epic watching him move on the water.
"When I started paddling in whitewater it didn't take long for me to think, man, canoeing"
Travel On Paddle On: Okay Bryan, I want to talk paddling with you. Specifically C1 paddling because you're the only person I know who does that. What is C1, what does that stand for?
Bryan: Uh huh, Canoe one. So that's a one person canoe.
TOPO: Okay. But you're in a kayak shell.
B: Yes
TOPO: Alright so explain what that is. How do you turn a whitewater kayak into a C1?
B: You rip all of the outfitting out of a kayak, or in my case find a free empty hull and you build a saddle into it so you can paddle it on your knees like you would a canoe.
TOPO: And a saddle is a foam block that you straddle.
B: Essentially, right. Common in the canoe world.
TOPO: Alright so the key difference is your kneeling as opposed to seated and you're using a single blade paddle as opposed to two blades. So you're canoeing whitewater in a whitewater kayak.
B: Yeah kind of. You're using the hull of the kayak so that you can have it skirted and you can use the designs and the light weight of the hull, the skirt so that you're not taking on water and that makes it a lot easier to roll and do more technical things.
TOPO: Boy, I don't know if the next question I want to ask is how you got there or why. Because it may not be obvious yet but C1 paddling seems pretty darn uncomfortable. I mean you're kneeling through whitewater in a kayak shell.
B: Well, I've got nice foam. I don't know, my feet fall asleep in a kayak too.
TOPO: Right so it doesn't really make a difference to you. To a lot of people it seems like why would you C1 in the same way that they say why would you telemark ski if you can just ski regularly.
B: I think there's been a number of comparisons drawn between the two.
TOPO: Right so it's not easier. It's more of a challenge. Is that the appeal?
"Then I thought about what is possible with running rivers with sections of flat water and lakes with rapids in between and not always having to portage a rapid but being able to run everything"
B: I guess the why and the how did I get here are kind of the same in a way. I grew up flat water canoeing and doing big trips that way and I loved it. Then when I started paddling in whitewater it didn't take long for me to think, man, canoeing. I didn't realize you could do this in a canoe. I didn't know that running rivers and rapids in a canoe was a thing.
TOPO: And when you started running whitewater what were you on?
B: An inflatable kayak which progressed then into a hardshell kayak.
TOPO: And then you thought, hey this whitewater is pretty fun. Maybe I can bring my canoe into this sport. So then did you go whitewater canoeing first before developing the idea of outfitting a whitewater kayak into a C1?
B: I did. But mostly I saw what could be possible with canoes. Tripping canoes is excellent. I think it's a very versatile and capable boat that can do a lot in flat water especially. But then I thought about what is possible with running rivers with sections of flat water and lakes with rapids in between and not always having to portage a rapid but being able to run everything.
TOPO: So it opens the door for more waterways and more potential trips because a canoe can store more and it also doesn't just spin around with zero tracking on flat water like a whitewater kayak does.
B: Yeah and so I wanted to be able to do more of those trips in a canoe but I didn't want to be pushing my comfort level in whitewater with a loaded boat on a big trip. I wanted to push what I was comfortable with and understand how water works to a higher degree so then on these bigger trips that I'm hoping to do I'm not way over my head in terms of what I'm comfortable with or familiar with on the river.
"I guess for me the next step would be running more serious creeks around here and that's something that I think the C1 can allow me to do a little bit more so than an open boat"
TOPO: Okay so here's a question for you as I'm learning about the evolution of your paddling interests; are you using C1 as a sort of training for whitewater canoeing? Maybe C1 isn't the endgame but instead a catalyst to further your canoeing abilities in various water venues?
B: I think in a way. Yeah, but it's also in it's own right just a great time.
TOPO: Yeah right, so it's fun and of course you don't need another reason to do anything if it's fun. But it also seems purposeful for you. It's almost like going to the gym to up your fitness so that you're more prepared to go out and do things in the world. So in this case is C1 your gym and whitewater canoeing is your goal?
B: I guess so. I don't know I mean it's all just paddling and having a good time. The whitewater canoe that I have now has enough space to store my gear and comfortably pack for an overnight trip. So I wanted to get better at that and then having free access to this C1 that I built and with that having the ability to roll easier. You might say why not just kayak it then? For me learning the skills associated with a single blade was important. So yeah it's a desire to build that skillset and move towards that. I think part of it too is ya know, you have to build your boat. This hull had a crack so I welded the hull and then figured out how to build this frame into it and then built the frame and then outfitted it with the foam. Tinkering around with it has been fun.
TOPO: Yeah it's a love of labor which makes it yours rather than going out and buying the most expensive water ready boat you can find, instead you found this free hull with a crack and made it your own.
B: Yeah, which ya know, kind of sketches me out a little bit.
TOPO: Yeah every time we go out you say something like "hold on I have to fasten this or fix this pad or whatever". But it always works doesn't it. So we just got done running the Upper Clack and it's low water but you kicked some ass like I've never seen you kick ass in a C1 before. You definitely made a big leap up the learning curve today.
B: Yeah, thanks. It's been coming a long nicely.
"It's exciting to do new things and challenge yourself. I guess it's fun to be a beginner sometimes"
TOPO: Let's talk about something that you and I both experience. Whitewater kayaking is king here in the Pacific Northwest, right? Whitewater kayaking and rafting both are maybe equally as popular. But we prefer the single blades. I like to whitewater SUP and you like to canoe and now C1. Do you want to talk about the draw of not doing the norm and paddling in a unique way that most people don't and the appeal to that? Or is there an appeal to not doing the norm or do you just happen to like what isn't tasty to most?
B: I think there's an element of both. It's fun to be kind of weird.
TOPO: Yeah it's more so the chips just fell where they were and now it's enjoyable to play with them.
B: Yeah I mean in your case you started whitewater SUPing because you liked SUPing and now you're living in the Northwest and people are running whitewater and now you're thinking man I don't want to kayak that I want to SUP it because I like SUPing.
"I think it's growing the situations that you find yourself comfortable in"
TOPO: That's true. And the bar gets raised when you paddle a lake then you paddle a river then you paddle a big lake then a big river and then moving water. So it gets hard to go back to that first lake now that you've experienced a drastic raise in your own bar.
So let's break down your evolution of paddling. You started canoeing in Minnesota, places like the Boundary Waters. I know you've spent time up there. Would you consider that your square one?
B: Yeah I mean my parents took me up there when I was still in diapers.
TOPO: And then you moved out here and you experienced whitewater in an inflatable kayak and then a hardshell kayak and then a whitewater canoe and then a C1. So if someone is at your square one, they're canoeing and have experience with overnight trips and they're looking to raise their own bar...how did you raise your bar?
B: Best way to raise your bar is to follow your heart and do whatever you want to do. I don't think there has to be an "on to the next level!" It's something that is exciting me right now and I'm workin towards. But I don't think it always has to be about the next level. I guess for me the next step would be running more serious creeks around here and that's something that I think the C1 can allow me to do a little bit more so than an open boat. And that will lead to what I really want to do which is some sort of month long wilderness trip.
TOPO: Yeah you want to go to Alaska, right?
B: Yeah, Alaska or Canada. There are far out rivers that are unsupported, big rivers, long rivers and you're in the wilderness, right? And there's probably not a lot of beta on it and not a lot of people have done it. That's appealing and I think that's appealing to a lot of different people in a lot of different sports and disciplines.
"Why wouldn't you just kayak?"
"Maybe you should"
TOPO: Sure, one thing I want to talk about. You and I were paddling about a month ago when you realized that one year ago on that day you ran whitewater for the first time. So in one year, this is something that I applaud you for, in that every time you go paddling you never stay completely in your comfort zone. You never go down the river and are complacent with the skillset that you have. You're always right on the edge of your comfort zone and trying to expand it. So how do you go about that. Do you have goals before getting on the river that you want to work towards or does it happen organically while on the river?
B: Yeah I mean every time I go down a river I try to surf a wave here or there and after running the same rivers again and again I know what to look for. But I do try to do a little research. Honestly, I watch a lot of YouTube videos. It's exciting to do new things and challenge yourself. I guess it's fun to be a beginner sometimes. But also I guess you're not a beginner if you're good or decent at a sport and are trying to learn a new skill within it. But yeah, to be growing with things is appealing and then you can do more with that.
TOPO: You can create the time on the river and make it more of what you want if you can go down and control yourself on the waves it's an elevated degree of excitement.
B: I think it's growing the situations that you find yourself comfortable in. The first time I was running down the Clackamas it was paddle fast, point it straight down the middle of everything and hope I come out the other side. I think that was because I didn't understand the finesse of it. Now I'm able to go down with control and slide across the water in the direction I want to go. It's fun to see yourself doing things that you once thought were unreachable. And circling back to C1, I think you've gotta be a little weird. Because why wouldn't you just kayak? My friend Curran the other day said, "Seeing you in that it just looks like kayaking except everything is harder". And I think it's true. As I've started to figure it out there are just different ways of doing things. There are definitely things that are harder but there's just an appeal to do things differently.
TOPO: So in a statement, you gotta be a little bit weird to C1 because it's harder, why wouldn't you just kayak? What's your answer to that?
B: Maybe you should.
TOPO: That's a great answer.
B: I think a lot of people who C1 also kayak. Just because you do one paddling discipline on the water doesn't mean that's your one option. And I don't think anyone should do just one style of paddling on the water. With the C1 I feel more comfortable running water than I do in my open boat. If I were to run a more hairy run maybe I'll hop in my kayak. It's just about giving yourself options.
TOPO: I agree. When the water is too low to SUP I hop in my kayak. Why wouldn't you want to give yourself more options to recreate outside? Well thanks for chatting today, Bryan. I'll see you out on the water.
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